On Tuesday, GAP tweeted: “Blogged about @Gap lately? Let us know with the hashtag #GapFashion so we can you to our influencer list.” The tweet included a link to a Twitter list of “Fashion Influencers” created by the brand. Of course, the list is probably just the tip of the iceberg of GAP’s influencer marketing effort, but should we be surprised when a brand shares lists of bloggers publicly?
By definition I am a mommy blogger, but don’t you dare call me one. The category irks me. Or maybe the stereotype irks me. Most mommy bloggers I know don’t blog “just” about being mommies, and they certainly don’t blog about coupons or cleaning products. They blog about things like relationships, half-marathons and poetry, like I do (though I sometimes take weeks off between posts despite knowing better through my day job).
Do not refer to me as “soccer mom” or “hockey mom,” either, though my sons play both sports. You should also avoid “SAHM” (though I was one for a while) and “working mom” (duh, isn’t every mother? The President says so, anyway). Yes, what they say about people who assume is true, and mom stereotypes are old-school. I don’t drive a minivan or a humungous SUV. I don’t buy diapers, lunchmeat or fruit roll-ups. I don’t organize bake sales (who would dare to these days?) or hide in the bathroom for alone-time.
Earlier this month, Fox announced the first-ever “Pimp My App” contest, challenging app developers to "the coolest, groundbreaking, mind-bending app for the Fox hit show "Fringe" and pocket a cool 10 large along the way". While user-generated content (UGC) and consumer-generated advertising (CGA) is nothing new, application development is. It’s the first “you do it for us” application developer contest that pays above-and-beyond the exposure the end product may deliver and the only one to be promoted on a broad scale.